John Cage

Legends seem that much more human when they're assigned numbers  composer John Cage is no different, having enjoyed this entire year's worth of centenary celebrations, the latest of which is "Cage at UCLA: A Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of John Cage's Birth." Cage taught at UCLA in the '30s, shortly after the campus had moved from its Vermont Avenue location (which is now L.A. City College) to Westwood, and in observance of this fortunate fact, UCLA faculty and students present a selection of his works that stemmed in no small part from his time spent in the greater metropolitan Westwood area. Over the course of 10 hours, you'll experience John Cage’s String Quartet in Four Parts, the lecture Becoming Cage: The Los Angeles Years, 1912-1938, symposia on his poetry, media and legacy and the performance of his complete Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano(1946-1948), among many other incarnations of the man's great and useful genius, which continues to thrill and enthrall on the subtlest levels even today. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd.; Wstwd.; Sun., Dec. 2, 10 a.m., free. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu
Sun., Dec. 2, 10 a.m., 2012